Cavs mull 3 options for Bynum

Updated: January 3, 2014, 10:51 PM ET

By Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst | ESPN.com



The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the weekend focused on three main exit strategies for Andrew Bynum as the Jan. 7 guarantee date on the remaining $6 million of the center's 2013-14 salary fast approaches Tuesday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Sources said Utah Jazz veteran swingman Richard Jefferson has emerged as a new trade target for the Cavaliers after ongoing talks with the Los Angeles Lakers on a deal centered around the swap of former teammates Pau Gasol and Bynum remained at an impasse Friday.


Utah Jazz swingman Richard Jefferson has emerged as a new trade target for the Cavaliers as they look to potentially move Andrew Bynum.
A deal with Utah that would send Jefferson to Cleveland and likewise allow the Jazz to acquire and waive Bynum before the other half of his $12.3 million salary this season becomes guaranteed is one of three primary options for the Cavaliers. The other two, sources said Friday, are continuing talks with the Lakers this weekend in hopes of hashing out trade terms both teams can stomach, or electing to keep Bynum beyond Tuesday's deadline and then reshopping him as a trade asset before the Feb. 20 trade deadline, or, if necessary, again in late June and early July.

Any team that has Bynum on its roster Jan. 7 can immediately wipe $6 million of its books this season by waiving him that day by 5 p.m. But sources said that Cleveland is strongly weighing the idea of keeping Bynum if it can't trade him by then, despite the fact it would fully guarantee the former All-Star center an extra $6 million.

In that scenario -- even if he never played another second for the Cavs -- Bynum theoretically could be an attractive trade piece in connection with the June draft or immediately after it because his $12.5 million salary in 2014-15 is fully nonguaranteed. Any team that has Bynum on its roster in July can erase the $12.5 million as long as he clears waivers by July 10.

ESPN reported Thursday that talks headlined by Gasol and Bynum had stalled, largely because the Lakers are seeking an additional quality asset from the Cavs on top of Bynum's cap-friendly contract, which could save Los Angeles more than $20 million in salary and luxury tax if it acquired Bynum next week and immediately released him. Sources say that L.A. also covets either a young prospect or a future first-round pick as well as Bynum if it parts with Gasol, but Cleveland has been unwilling to put either of those assets on the table.

It's believed that Utah's demands in a deal headlined by Jefferson and Bynum would be far more modest in comparison, given that Jefferson, at 33, has essentially been a role player for the past five seasons after a long run as a slashing scorer in both New Jersey and Milwaukee.

Cleveland, though, has been looking to upgrade its options at small forward for some time. And Jefferson, averaging 9.9 points in his debut season with the Jazz as an $11 million player, is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range and would bring some needed know-how to the position for the Cavs, who remain hopeful of reaching the playoffs in the inviting Eastern Conference after a three-season drought dating to the free-agent exodus of LeBron James.

Sources say the Cavs and Lakers remained engaged in talks as of Friday, leaving open the possibility that an agreement can be struck. But ESPN reported Friday night that the Lakers believe they have other routes to getting under the luxury tax threshold beyond just swapping the four-time All-Star for the instant cap relief Bynum's contract would provide.

Trading for and then waiving Bynum could take the Lakers below the luxury-tax line for the first time in seven years. Yet sources say the Lakers remain reluctant to part with Gasol before giving the team time to recover from an ongoing wave of injuries that has derailed their season. Point guard Jordan Farmar was the latest to go down, suffering a hamstring tear that is expected to sideline him for a month. The Lakers (13-19) have lost six games in a row entering Friday night's home date with Jefferson and Utah.

There is, however, some tangible pressure on the Lakers to get out of the luxury tax to help with future flexibility. If the Lakers remain a tax team at season's end, going into the tax in either of the next two seasons would trigger a costly "repeater tax" that the franchise hopes to avoid. The Lakers' plan, in the wake of signing Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48.5 million extension in late November, is to be major free-agent players the next two summers.

Sources say the Cavs have been shopping Bynum all over the league this week after a series of flare-ups with various coaches convinced the team's management to suspend him last weekend and effectively end its experiment with him.

Cleveland (11-21) signed Bynum to the largely nonguaranteed two-year, $25 million contract last summer after the 26-year-old missed the entire 2012-13 season with Philadelphia thanks to knee issues that have plagued him for years. The Sixers' failed gamble with Bynum came as part of the four-team blockbuster trade in August 2012 that landed Dwight Howard with the Lakers.

Information from ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin was used in this report.

Andrew Bynum deal progressing
Updated: January 4, 2014, 9:53 PM ET
By Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne | ESPN.com

After several days of stalled talks, the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers made progress Saturday on a trade that would involve Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, sources told ESPN.com.

The Cavs want to execute a trade by Sunday so it can be completed ahead of Tuesday's deadline for Bynum's contract to become fully guaranteed, sources said. Trades need 48 hours to be finalized so that players can have physicals.

The Cavs have been involved in talks with other teams looking to take advantage of Bynum's contract, which is for $12.3 million, but a team that has him on their roster can waive him by Tuesday and not owe him the $6.3 million left on the deal. That has made him attractive to teams looking to cut payroll at midseason.

On Friday, ESPN.com reported the Cavs have been in talks to swap Bynum's contract to the Utah Jazz for veteran forward Richard Jefferson in a money-saving move for the Jazz. They have been in other trade talks as well as considering keeping Bynum and using him as a trade asset before next month's trade deadline, sources said.

The Lakers, who have had their season wrecked by injuries, have been considering whether to execute the trade because it would get them out of the luxury tax for the first time in seven years. More important than the $20 million in instant savings would be easing the pressure of going into the repeater tax in either 2015 or 2016, sources said. If team is in the luxury tax in four out of any five years, it triggers the repeater tax.

The Lakers, who broke a six-game losing streak with a victory over the Jazz on Friday night, have sought more than just the cost savings from the Cavs. They have been seeking a package that would include a young player or a draft pick, which has been holding up the talks.

Internally the Lakers have been debating whether they should trade Gasol, who has been a four-time All-Star with the team, or wait for some of their players to get healthy and give the team a chance to make a run in the second half of the season.

It appears these talks, which kicked into gear last weekend when the Cavs suspended Bynum for a game and put him on the trade block, could be headed for a resolution one way or the another on Sunday.

Pau Gasol - F/C - Lakers

Updating a previous item, ESPN LA 710 deleted their tweet about a Pau Gasol-Andrew Bynum deal being done.
ESPN LA 710 appears to employ a gentleman named Rick Schwartz, who was responsible for the initial report and he has not backed off that report.

Several big name reporters have chimed in saying the parties are still quite a bit apart, and it could be construed that the radio station's deleted tweet is a lack of confidence in his report, though since then Schwartz has been on Twitter with continued confidence. The bottom line is that the teams have reasons to be talking but Gasol's value isn't going to change too much in most scenarios.

With 50 games left, it’s time for Cavs to reassess direction for this season

By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published: January 4, 2014 - 10:09 PM

BROOKLYN, N.Y.: With Tuesday’s deadline to deal Andrew Bynum fast approaching, the Cavaliers have reached their first crossroads of the season. By all accounts, they will forge ahead with this tattered army. They will march on for that elusive playoff berth because that’s what the owner declared would happen eight months ago.

But with this team floundering and blended into the pileup near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, perhaps now is the proper time to reassess the direction of the season.

Which is more valuable: aiming for the playoffs or one more trip to the lottery? Neither answer is clear and both paths carry dangerous traps.

The Cavs took their shot. They tried, but none of the moves made last summer had the desired effect. Jarrett Jack has underachieved slightly, Earl Clark’s transition to small forward has been disappointing, Anthony Bennett has been a disaster and now Bynum is headed out of town.

There are still 50 games to go, meaning there is plenty of time for all this to change. But we’ve been saying that for 30 games and nothing has worked.

It’s incredibly deflating to talk lottery when the franchise seemed headed in the right direction just three months ago, and maybe it still is. Mike Brown insists he sees improvement everywhere except the record, and the Cavs have certainly had their share of close-but-not-quite losses lately.

They entered the weekend two games out of the final playoff spot in the East, but two games ahead of the Utah Jazz for the NBA’s second-worst record.

I’m having a difficult time understanding what value the Cavs gain from staggering into the playoffs with a flawed roster, only to get crushed and eliminated quickly in four games. Sooner or later that has to happen, but is this franchise ready? Once they step into playoff waters, it’s difficult to retreat. Plunge too soon and they’ll be stuck in that 6-7-8 seed purgatory they’ve tried so hard to avoid.

Don’t be fooled by the decrepit East. It’s not often a 35-win team makes the playoffs. Just because the Cavs might be able to do it this season doesn’t make them ready for perennial trips to the playoffs.

As I’ve written on multiple occasions during this rebuild, the Cavs were trying to do something only one other team has accomplished in the last 20-plus years. The Utah Jazz returned to the Western Conference finals four years after losing both Karl Malone and John Stockton and gutting their roster.

The rapid reconstruction of that franchise was incredible because no one had ever done it before so quickly. The fact it happened in a cold weather, small market city made it even more astonishing.

It took the Chicago Bulls seven years just to make the playoffs after Michael Jordan retired and nine years to win their first playoff series. The Boston Celtics made the playoffs two out of three years after Larry Bird retired, but failed to win a series, then missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. The Orlando Magic made the playoffs five out of seven years after Shaquille O’Neal left, but didn’t actually win a series for 13 years. Kevin Garnett left Minnesota seven years ago and the Timberwolves still haven’t made it back to the postseason.

Few of those franchises, incidentally, purged their rosters as deep and swiftly as the Cavs did. Anderson Varejao is the only remaining member from the playoff team of 2010.

If the Cavs pulled this off and became a respectable Eastern Conference threat just four years after LeBron James’ departure, General Manger Chris Grant would’ve been a favorite for Executive of the Year. Instead, fans want him fired.

Grant was given the task of rebuilding this roster through the draft with the luxury of high draft picks. The Cavs had four top-4 picks over the last three drafts. The only problem was none of those drafts, as I’ve written multiple times, have been viewed as very good.

The draft that produced Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson was dismissed as terrible and lacking star power — Irving has far surpassed all expectations initially held for him, regardless of revisionist history. There were higher expectations nationally for the 2012 draft class, but the Cavs weren’t overly impressed and privately said at the time they preferred the little-regarded 2011 class. Anthony Davis is the only player from that class who has shown the ability of being a superstar.

And we all know how badly last summer’s draft class was viewed. As expected, it has lived down to expectations.

The Cavs have tried rebuilding this roster through three bad drafts. It seems silly to continue to demand winning now with a record this bad and a talent-rich class now six months away.

There are risks, of course, beginning with the locker room. Making moves now to succeed at this summer’s lottery can deflate, or perhaps infuriate, a team that spent all offseason preparing for a postseason push.

Irving can sign an extension this summer and it’s unclear how another trip to the lottery would affect his mindset. Then again, a strong argument could be made Irving hasn’t done enough this year to earn a max extension after the season — although the Cavs will surely offer it, just as the Wizards offered John Wall one last summer. Wall has responded with his best season and now in his fourth year has the Wizards in strong playoff contention.

Prior to this season, however, the Wizards hadn’t given Wall much reason for hope. Yet he still gladly took their max deal. Since no player coming off his rookie deal has ever declined a max contract, you’d have to expect Irving will take the money, too.

Another trip to the top half of the lottery would almost surely end any thoughts of James returning to this team next season. But then, given the record and the struggles of the season, that conclusion seems inevitable anyway.

What does any of this have to do with Bynum? Instead of using him to trade for an aging Richard Jefferson or Pau Gasol, both temporary fixes, instead of pushing the car to the finish line when it’s leaking oil, now might be the time to call a tow truck and go back to the garage.

Dangle Bynum in deals geared toward the future instead of the present. If none exist, release him and capitalize on the $6 million in cap space. Shop Anderson Varejao to a contender for future assets. Call the tight-fisted Clippers and offer to take enough salary off their hands in spare parts (less than $3 million) to get owner Donald Sterling under the luxury tax in exchange for their 2017 first-round pick (2015 is already owed to Boston).

It’s not the popular path, but long term it just might be the most prudent. Gilbert already admitted to one mistake the day he brought Mike Brown back as coach.Admitting this team isn’t yet ready for the postseason might be the next step.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/jaso...ce=twitterfeed

Luol Deng ! BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE !

Nice trade by Grant. Deng is legit SF and I have always been concerned that the Sac pick wouldn't amount to anything. Well now it has BIG time. As for those 2nd rounders. They mean very little. In fact we have THREE this year in the deepest draft in years. Wonder why we didn't even have to give any of them up???

Now let's see if we can win some games....

Copied this from earlier in the thread:

There is still plenty right with the Cavs. Irving is finding his groove. Waiters has gotten into a rhythm. And you could do a lot worse than a starting frontcourt that now includes Anderson Varejao at center and Tristan Thompson at power forward.

So with a very good small forward we now have five solid performers; with Miles and Jack OK role players. Shouldn't this be a playoff team?

Cleveland Cavaliers trade Andrew Bynum for Luol Deng


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Early Tuesday morning, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made it official on Twitter.

"Welcome @LuolDeng9 to the Cleveland Cavaliers!'' Gilbert tweeted at 12:54 a.m.

The Cavs finally obtained the small forward they've been seeking since the departure of LeBron James by acquiring the two-time All-Star from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for center Andrew Bynum, three future draft picks and the right to swap 2015 first round picks with the Cavs (1-14 protected).

It was the best possible outcome for the Cavs, who turned Bynum's attractive contract into a valuable asset who may be able to help the Cavs salvage this floundering season. It was unclear whether Deng would be here for Tuesday night's game against Philadelphia at The Q.

"We are very excited for Luol to join the Cavaliers organization, " Cavs general manager Chris Grant said in a press release issued by the team. "We have worked to acquire and maintain flexibility in order to capitalize on opportunities such as this. Luol reflects all that we are striving for in building our team. He’s a tremendous defensive player that can impact the game on both ends of the court with a team-first mentality and is a high character leader.”

In exchange for Deng, who can become a free agent this summer, the Cavs send Chicago Bynum, Cleveland’s right to the Sacramento Kings first-round draft pick conveyed in a June 30, 2011, deal, the right for Chicago to swap its 2015 first-round draft pick with the Cavs 2015 first-round pick (only if the Cleveland 2015 pick is between 15 and 30) and the Portland Trail Blazers 2015 and 2016 second-round draft picks acquired in a 2013 draft-night trade.

The key in all that is Bynum's contract. The Cavs knew they were taking a chance on signing the fragile Bynum last summer, but Grant, with the full support of Gilbert, structured the two-year $24 million deal so that only half of his $12.25 million salary was guaranteed this season, protecting themselves in case things didn't work out and giving themselves an attractive bargaining chip in case they did.

The Bulls, struggling since the loss of All-Star Derrick Rose for the second straight season with a knee injury, are expected to waive Bynum by 5 p.m. on Tuesday so he can clear waivers by Friday, when NBA contracts are guaranteed. They will save $15 million in salary and taxes and have acquired much needed pieces to rebuild moving forward.

Chicago had insisted it was not going to part with Deng and hoped to resign him this summer. Sam Smith reported early Tuesday that Deng turned down a last-minute three-year $30 million offer from the Bulls, who became convinced he would leave them empty-handed this summer. So they decided to take the Cavs offer that would allow them to get under the salary cap as well as pick up three draft choices.

Early rumors of this trade had diminished in recent days with most of the focus on a rumored trade that would have brought Pau Gasol from the Lakers for Bynum. The Lakers reportedly were insisting on additional assets that Grant was not willing to send to Los Angeles but did sent to Chicago for Deng, who has been an NBA All-Star in each of the past two seasons (2012 and 2013) and was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team in 2012. He also received the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2007 and All-Rookie first team honors in 2005.

This season, Deng has appeared in 23 games (all starts) for Chicago, averaging a career-best 19.0 points on .452 shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 37.4 minutes per game. The 6-9, 220-pound forward has scored at least 20 points 10 times this season, including a stretch of six straight 20-point games from Nov. 24 to Dec. 5. He missed nine games in December with a sore left Achilles but has played 29 minutes or more in the Bulls last three games.

Deng, a native of Sudan who grew up in England and played one season at Duke, was originally drafted by Phoenix in the 2004 NBA Draft as the No. 7 overall selection. He has spent his entire nine-year career with the Bulls and owns career averages of 16.1 points on .460 shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 35.9 minutes over 637 games (591 starts). He has also played in 48 playoff games (42 starts) with averages of 16.7 points on .452 shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 40.3 minutes per game.

"We have great respect for Luol Deng, as a player and a person,'' Bulls General Manager Gar Forman said in a story on the team's website. "He has been an incredible contributor to our team on the court, and he has also done great things in the community. On behalf of the entire Bulls organization, I want to thank Luol for his years in Chicago.

“The moves made today will put us in a better position to make the entire roster stronger for the future and to compete for a championship.''

civ ollilavad wrote:Copied this from earlier in the thread:

There is still plenty right with the Cavs. Irving is finding his groove. Waiters has gotten into a rhythm. And you could do a lot worse than a starting frontcourt that now includes Anderson Varejao at center and Tristan Thompson at power forward.

So with a very good small forward we now have five solid performers; with Miles and Jack OK role players. Shouldn't this be a playoff team?

If healthy, yes, especially in the eastern conference.

Probasketballdraft @Probballdraft

One consideration w/ Luol Deng is he’s represented by same agent, Herb Rudoy, as Z. Cavs probably gauged his willingness to re-sign already.

12:42 PM - 7 Jan 2014

Terry Pluto

Cavs had to make trade for Deng


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Maybe the deal won't work.

Maybe Luol Deng fails to help the Cavs make the playoffs.

Maybe all the different conditions on the various draft picks headed to Chicago in the trade for Deng break the wrong way for the Cavs.

But the Cavs had to make this trade.

That's right, they had to do it.

Ever since LeBron James left to go to Miami in July of 2010, the Cavs' fan base has been taking a beating. The team has been terrible, James' old small forward spot an embarrassment.

Deng comes to town as one of the top small forwards in the NBA, averaging 19 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 45 percent this season.

Why would the Bulls give up Deng for Andrew Bynum's contract, a couple of second rounders (2015 and 2016) and the possibility of a first-round highly-protected pick via the Sacramento Kings?

Because Deng will be a free agent, and he turned down a three-year, $30 million extension offer from the Bulls. And the Bulls are in a salary cap/luxury tax swamp -- needing to dump payroll.

Meanwhile, the Cavs turned the failed Bynum experiment and extra picks that they had collected over the years into a short-term move that hopefully can transform this team into something worth watching.

The Cavs are 11-23 and have lost 8-of-10, yet they are only three games out of the playoffs in the awful Eastern Conference. They are six games away from home-court advantage.

Deng can make a major difference. Not just because he can score, but he defends, rebounds and is very good at making sure the ball moves.

There are immediate risks. He has been battling an Achilles problem, and has missed nine games this season.

He has played the last three games, averaging 16 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 41 percent since returning from the injury.




In the last three years, he has averaged 39 minutes a game. He will turn 29 in April, which sounds relatively young. But there are a lot of miles on his basketball tires.

Meanwhile, think about the franchise since the departure of James.

In the last three seasons, the Cavs have a 65-165 (.354) record. The only three-year span that was worse was the 1980-83 Ted Stepien Era (66-180, .366).

Deng has been a terrific pro, the best friend of coaches and a role model for younger players. He knows the division, having spent his entire career with the Bulls.

Best case scenario is Deng stays healthy, the Cavs make the playoffs and he signs an extension to stay in Cleveland.

The worst? You can guess.

Grant, with the full support of Gilbert, structured the two-year $24 million deal so that only half of his $12.25 million salary was guaranteed this season, protecting themselves in case things didn't work out and giving themselves an attractive bargaining chip in case they did.

Genius.

And yes, I would think contact has been made with Deng's agent to see how willing he would be to re-sign. Assuming the Cavs are willing to offer him a max deal.

I would think they would. He is perfect, mostly because he's a small forward. Fits exactly what they need. He's a warrior, plays hurt if necessary, plays (Mike Brown worthy) defense. And, oh yeah, scores. He really is a great NBA player who was somewhat overshadowed by the talent in Chicago.

Perfect fit. The missing piece. Much moreso than Gasol.

Great article. It really explains the finances well, I actually understood it! Haha

Sheridan: Deng to Cavs is Coup for Chris Grant, Mistake by Mitch Kupchak

By Chris Sheridan
January 07, 2014 at 6:06 AM


Well, Lakers fans, you get to keep staring at Pau Gasol and watch him age before your eyes — until the trade deadline, that is. OK, maybe a couple months longer.

And the rebuilding plan that coincides with Kobe Bryant’s two-year contract extension? Don’t expect the Lakers to be flooded with max players. They still need to stay under the luxury tax line for two seasons to avoid the dreaded repeater tax, and it doesn’t look like this season will be one of them.

For reasons that are beyond reasonable, the Lakers failed to make the trade that could have sped up their rebuilding plan by a whole year, watching from the sidelines as the Cleveland Cavaliers shipped Andrew Bynum to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng. The Bulls also got a future first-round draft pick owed to the Cavs by the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls will get the Kings’ pick if it falls outside the top 12 in 2014 or outside the top 10 in 2015, 2016 or 2017.

The Bulls also got the 2015 and 2016 second-round picks the Portland Trail Blazers owed the Cavs. The Bulls will be able to swap draft positions with the Cavs in 2015 as long as the Cavs’ draft pick is outside the top 14 picks.

RELATED: BULLS SALARIES AND ANALYSIS

The acquisition of Deng, who failed to reach agreement with the Bulls on a contract extension during the preseason, should turn the Cavs back into contenders. Kyrie Irving’s team has lost eight of nine, but the Cavs sit only three games outside of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Welcome @LuolDeng9 to the Cleveland Cavaliers!

— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) January 7, 2014

“We have worked to acquire and maintain flexibility in order to capitalize on opportunities such as this,” Cavs general manager Chris Grant said. “Luol reflects all that we are striving for in building our team. He’s a tremendous defensive player that can impact the game on both ends of the court with a team-first mentality and is a high character leader.”

RELATED: CAVALIERS SALARIES AND ANALYSIS

It is debatable whether Gasol or Deng would have been a better acquisition for the Cavs, as Deng is five years younger — but will come at a steeper price if Cleveland wants to retain him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

“We’re bringing him here and we’d like to keep him here long term,” Grant said of Deng, who may or may not arrive before tonight’s game against Philadelphia at The Q but likely will not play. “He’s 28 years old. We see him as part of our core and our youth moving forward. We’ll get through the season and get into those conversations at the appropriate time.”

Deng, making $14.3 million this season, can be a free agent this summer. Under the new collective bargaining rules, the Cavs could only offer him a three-year extension if they tried to do so before July . They could offer him a five-year deal once he becomes a free agent.

But back to the Lakers…

The Cavs were sitting on a ton of draft picks, and those draft picks could have become Lakers property to help with the rebuilding.

Instead, Los Angeles goes into this year’s draft with no second-round pick, and next year’s draft without a first-round pick or a second-round pick. They also owe a 2017 first-round pick from the Steve Nash trade.

How are you going to rebuild for Kobe’s farewell with just a single pick in the next two drafts?

kupchakThis was Mitch Kupchak’s chance to flip an aging asset for some hope, and he blew it.

As for the Bulls, they get to go below the luxury tax and throw away another season — officially now. They were never going to compete for a title without Derrick Rose, and Jerry Reinsdorf is coming off a 2012-13 season in which he cut a luxury tax payment check for the first time ever. Now, the Bulls are out of the tax for this year, and they can start concentrating on further rebuilding moves such as using the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer in order to get far enough below the cap to pay more than $500,000 toward Nikola Mirotic’s $3 million buyout with Real Madrid.

So at least John Paxson and Gar Forman looked out for their owner’s wallet and made a move that will enable them to rebuild quickly. They are expected to waive Bynum, who will sign with the team of his choosing when he clears waivers at the end of the week. That’ll give hope to somebody — whether it is the Knicks, Heat, Clippers or someone else.

But it won’t be the Lakers, and that is a shame for fans in Los Angeles. They deserve to have a plan put in place to make a legit run at the championship in Kobe’s final season, and this was their chance to have a one-year shortcut.

And if you think the Buss family is some sort of West Coast version of the Mikhail Prohkorov, think again — yes, even with the $250 million annual TV deal with Fox.

Also, two things:

_ Remember that the Lakers are already getting hit hard financially under the league’s new revenue sharing plan. Yes, they have a monster TV deal with Fox Sports. But many of the other NBA teams are getting a piece of that pie. If the Lakers go under the tax this season, not only do they not have to pay it, they also get to share in the tax expenditures made by other owners — a substantial pot of money given what Mikhail Prokhorov is paying for the Brooklyn Nets. So when you pay the luxury tax, you also preclude yourself from receiving luxury tax revenues.

_ You must understand how punitive the repeater tax is, and it bears repeating that any team that exceeds the tax threshold in four out of five seasons under the new CBA is subject to the repeater tax. (The Lakers paid it last season and the previous season, and they are over the threshold for this season. So in order to stay out of repeater territory, they need to be below the tax threshold for two years.) Here are the details of the higher luxury tax that went into effect this season (it used to be a dollar-for-dollar tax):

For the 2013-14 season, the tax level is $71.748 million. The tax rates run from 150 percent to 325 percent:
$0 – 4.99M above the tax threshold: $1.50-for-$1.
$5M – 9.99M above the tax threshold: $1.75-for-$1.
$10M – 14.99M above the tax threshold: $2.50-for-$1.
$15M – 19.99M above the tax threshold: $3.25-for-$1.

Tax rates increase by $0.50 for each additional $5 million increment above the Tax Level. (e.g., for Team Salary $20 million to $24.99 million above the Tax Level, the tax rate is $3.75-for-$1 for that increment).

Now, the repeater tax rates for teams that are taxpayers in at least four out of any five seasons (starting in 2011-12).

$0 – 4.99M above the tax threshold: $2.50-for-$1.
$5M – 9.99M above the tax threshold: $2.75-for-$1.
$10M – 14.99M above the tax threshold: $3.50-for-$1.
$15M – 19.99M above the tax threshold: $4.25-for-$1.

If the Lakers want to have Carmelo Anthony (2014 free agent) and Kevin Love (2015 aboard) along with Kobe in 2015-16, they are going to be subject to the repeater tax. And to repeat, if you do not own a vast number of diamond mines and gold mines, that tax is prohibitive.

And let’s make one thing clear: The Buss children like money. They don’t like wasting money. The repeater tax is so punitive, it is a waste of money unless it guarantees a championship. It is to be avoided like the plague, and to avoid it you have to get under the tax for two seasons.

This was the Lakers’ chance to make this one of those seasons.

They blew it.

And they’ll pay for it — one way or another — in the final season they have Kobe Bryant under contract.

(MORE ON LAKERS MISTAKE IN PODCAST WITH SIRIUS RADIO’s NBA CHANNEL)

Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of Sheridan Hoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.

That is really getting pretty darn close to a salary cap. Going over that "threshold" is absolutely nasty!

How cool is this? Off Twitter


Nazr Mohammed ‏@NazrMohammed 3h

I hate this part of the business. Gonna miss my brother @LuolDeng9. He was the consummate pro & teammate. Not many like him in the @NBA